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Pope Leo Leaves Hospital Four Days after Cancerous Nodule Removed from His Lung; Michigan Democratic Senate Candidate Abdul El- Sayed Campaigns in Red Districts of Michigan; No Kings Rally Protesting Trump Administration Takes Place in Georgia; Large Protests Involving Students and Unions Take Place in Paris over Cost of Living; Former Student Kills Four in Shooting at Elementary School in Bend, Oregon; President Trump Holds Rally in Kentucky; Polls Show Democrats Likely to Take Control of House of Representatives in Midterm Elections; Developing Coastal Storm Threatens U.S. East Coast. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired October 17, 2026 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[14:00:00]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- my husband does do I agree with.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Republican, but dude, his stance, I feel he's going to cost the Republicans the House and the Senate. Maybe not by big margins. I might be very slim margins, but he needs to reverse his stance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, make sure to watch Donie's full report on "The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper" tonight 8:00 p.m. right here on CNN, and the next day on the CNN app.

All right, thank you so much for joining me. Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin this hour with breaking news. Pope Leo is out of the hospital just four days after having a cancerous nodule removed from his lung. Doctors discharged the 71-year-old after reviewing x-rays and blood tests. The holy father offered blessings to the faithful outside Rome's Gemelli Hospital before getting into an SUV there. The pontiff's spokesman says Leo is now back at the Vatican.

CNN's Christopher Lamb is joining us right now from Rome. Christopher, I mean, incredibly impressive, you know, to have surgery and then to be walking out there and, you know, handshaking and all that. And hearing from the Pope surgeon that they believe the prognosis is pretty good. All of this after this tumor being found by accident during a routine exam.

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Fred. We've heard a bit more from the surgeon who led the team operating on Pope Leo. They said that they found this small tumor or nodule that was done really through a routine scan. And of course, they've operated on it and they're very happy with his progress. They say he's been a kind of model patient, and his recovery is going well. We saw the Pope today looking pretty good as he came out to greet people, and including a young Ukrainian girl who was also being treated for cancer in Italy and has been given the all clear.

He's now, Leo is now back in the Vatican, preparing to make his first public appearance since that hospitalization. He'll be leading prayers here in Saint Peter's Square.

Of course, the longer term picture is a bit unclear. We don't have those final test results, which will give us the longer term prognosis or what, if any, treatment he needs. But for now, the Pope looking good as he left hospital and preparing to get back to work. Fred?

WHITFIELD: So, Christopher, any idea what the plan would be on how the public would be informed if there is more treatment that he will need?

LAMB: Well, we will expect to have a statement or some kind of communique from the Vatican about that. That's what the authorities in the Vatican have said. It's not clear when that's going to be. An interesting thing, though, is that the surgeon who treated the Pope has essentially cleared him for travel for this very long and arduous trip to Latin America that he is due to do on November the 6th until the 17th of November. Have a listen to what the surgeon had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PROFESSOR STEFANO MARGARITORA, CHIEF THORACIC SURGEON, GEMELLI HOSPITAL (through translator): Since almost a week has already passed, I believe that in another ten days or so the Pope could be fully recovered. As for a long trip involving air travel in about three weeks, I would say there are no clinical reasons why such a trip should not go ahead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAMB: Well, Fred, this trip to Latin America is so important to Pope Leo because it's a return to Peru, a country that he served as a missionary and a bishop. The Pope is scheduled to be there next month, but we still have to wait to see if it is definitely going ahead. Fred?

WHITFIELD: Right, right. I know, and you have underscored how excited he is about that scheduled upcoming trip. But of course, you know, everyone knows recovery, sometimes you don't know what your body is going to do. So you may need a little time.

All right, Christopher Lamb, thank you so much.

All right, now to politics and the race to sway voters with just 17 days until the critical midterm elections. With control of the House and Senate on the line in November in this country, candidates and their supporters are blitzing the campaign trail in a mad dash to sway voters. In Michigan, Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed continues to barnstorm across the state, which is key to control the Senate. Meantime, thousands of No Kings rallies are set to take place across the country as the anti-Trump movement shifts its focus to promoting mass voter turnout for the midterm elections.

We've got a team of correspondents on the campaign trail. Rafael Romo is covering the No Kings rallies in Georgia, and Gloria Pazmino is in Michigan. Let's begin with you, Gloria, what people are telling you, and how soon before those folks in the crowd there at the town hall will see El-Sayed.

[14:05:08]

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, things are about to get started here in just a few short minutes. And we are in Midland County in Michigan. It's about two hours north of Detroit, and we've actually been crisscrossing the state with Abdul El-Sayed the past few days. He's been campaigning first in Michigan's upper peninsula, a very red part of the state. And today he's here in Midland County, also a Republican part of the state where Donald Trump won here by more than 50 percent of the vote back in 2024.

I want to just show you what this room looks like right now. It is a packed room. We're at a Unitarian Congregation here in Midland, and you can see the place is filled. There's standing room only in the back. And they are here to hear directly from El-Sayed, who has been campaigning across the state.

Now, I did catch up with a few voters who were waiting to get in, and they told me that a big concern for them is affordability, the cost of living, but also health care, the cost of health care. Medicare for all being El-Sayed primary campaign plank that he's been campaigning on. I spoke to a woman who told me that she does medical billing and that she sees how much people go into medical debt as a result of their insurance not covering their medical needs. So she's here to listen to him about that.

He's making a few more stops throughout the area today. As you said, he's been barnstorming across the state as we get closer and closer to Election Day in less than two weeks.

(APPLAUSE)

WHITFIELD: All right, Gloria Pazmino, bring us more when you get it. Thanks so much.

All right, let's go to Rafael Romo now in Georgia at one of the No Kings rallies. And just looking behind you, it looks like the crowd is actually picked up since the last time we saw you last hour.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: Yes, it has picked up for sure, Fredricka. Now the rally is on the move. They're marching to a Cobb County facility here in suburban Atlanta, and it's a polling place where many of these people are intending to vote early here in Georgia. If you combine a rally with the festival with a voting rights event, this is what you get here. All of these people carrying signs, many of them with American flags, many with some messages in protest of the Trump administration, democracy. That sign says, "Needs your courage. No Kings. Your vote matters." Well, we have all kinds of messages here.

But the main idea, according to organizers, is to invite people to vote here in Georgia. Early voting started on October 13 on Tuesday, and it's already picking up even though were still 17 days away from the actual day. I had an opportunity to talk to an organizer and also a rally attendant earlier today, and this is what they had to say about this event. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STACY PARLOTTO, INDIVISIBLE COBB: The main message is there is massive frustration and dissatisfaction with the current administration. Complete power grab and authoritarian moves. And so the No Kings coalition is out here in protest of that.

ROMO: Now you're wearing the No Kings shirt. Can you tell me about the No Kings movement? What does it mean for you?

BECCA FOSTER, RALLY PARTICIPANT: For me, it means not having a fascist nation, and so that my daughters can have a future with all of their rights in place and all of the freedoms do whatever they want to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And, Fred, this is the most adorable sign that I have been able to find so far. "Only butterflies should be monarchs", and this beautiful girl holding it. That gives you an idea about the kind of message that people want to send here to races that are generating national interest. The one for governor, and of course, the one for the U.S. Senate between Democrat Jon Ossoff and Mike Collins, who is, of course, endorsed by President Trump. Fred, now, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, Rafael Romo there in Marietta, Georgia. Thanks so much.

And then we have this breaking news. Violent protests are spreading across France. Police fired tear gas as they battled demonstrators in the streets of Paris and other major French cities. What began as student demonstrations over poor conditions in schools has now turned into a national crisis. Trade unions and other activists have joined the protests. They're demanding the government address the high cost of living in France.

And moments ago, the interior minister said more than a half-million people took to the streets nationwide. But later in the day, at the margins of these protests, groups of rioters also emerged, and they were seen looting various businesses and public buildings, sometimes even setting them and cars on fire.

With us now is CNN senior international correspondent Melissa Bell in Paris. Well, it's evening there. What's going on? It looks like there is fire behind you.

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Even behind, just behind me, Fredricka. Maybe you can see what's going down there at the end of the street. There's a fire that's been lit. The firemen have been struggling to get it under control. On the other side, the protesters still throwing projectiles. And as you can see, the riot police gathering to try and push them out of there.

And these scenes we've already seen repeated, not just here in Paris throughout the day, but throughout France. You mentioned those figures Fredricka, which are pretty astonishing -- 550,000 on the streets of France. And those are the official interior ministry figures. The unions say it was 800,000. Those figures are huge.

To take you back to the Yellow Vest days, that would have been a massive, massive turnout, probably only achieved on one of the very first demonstrations. So really remarkable that that many people took to the streets of France. As you say, a lot of it has descended into this kind of violence.

But even to begin with, we were here at Place de la Republique, even before the march began, a couple of hours before, and the air was thick with tear gas. There were scuffles already between the protesters and the police. And that's been the scene in so many different parts of France today still at this hour, near the Place de la Republique, but elsewhere across France as well.

And that speaks, Fredricka, to the fact that these protests have really ballooned way beyond the initial student protests that we saw for the first few weeks of this into a much bigger protest this time about the cost of living. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, Melissa Bell, keep us posted. Stay safe there in Paris.

All right, we're also following breaking news out of southern California, where a fast-moving wildfire has exploded in size. Hundreds of acres have been scorched and multiple homes consumed by the flames. We're tracking the threat.

Plus, we're learning new details about the 16-year-old Oregon school shooter. The four young people killed and the parent who took the gunman down as more children speak out about the trauma that they endured.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you started to hear gunshots, do you remember what went through your head?

KALANI JOURNEIGH, FOURTH GRADE STUDENT: Kind of like that we might die.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [14:17:06]

WHITFIELD: A fast-moving wildfire in southern California has scorched hundreds of acres. The Norte fire, now five percent contained, burned multiple homes and triggered evacuation orders for several parts of Orange County. Aerial footage shows flames racing up a hillside and multiple houses burning Friday afternoon. Fire officials tell us two firefighters suffered significant injuries but are stable in area hospitals.

And investigators are working to figure out a motive for a deadly school shooting Thursday that has left an Oregon community reeling. New video from a ring camera shows the moment that a mother got a call about an active shooter at her son's school.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SCREAMING)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And then here's how one fourth grader describes what it was like as the attack unfolded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KALANI JOURNEIGH, FOURTH GRADE STUDENT: We all just hid in there and for like 30 minutes, and it was we heard gunshots multiple times.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you started to hear gunshots, do you remember what went through your head?

JOURNEIGH: Kind of like that that we might die. It was kind of a weird feeling. And all of us were screaming and we were all, like, really scared.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And we're also learning more about the victims who were all inside a special needs classroom. Five-year-old Rhoam Summer was among three children killed, and a young teacher, 25-year-old Megan Lambert, whose family describes her as compassionate with a huge heart.

CNN national reporter Nick Watt is live in Bend, Oregon. Nick, we've learned the shooter was a 16-year-old former student at that elementary school, and you actually spoke to his mother. What did you learn?

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, listen, she said that there were no red flags. There were no warning signs. She had no idea that anything like this was coming. Now, you mentioned that the shooting was in a special ed classroom. This kid, the shooter, was himself at one point, a student in the special ed program at this school. That is, of course, one thing that they will be looking into. The other is the weapon.

I asked the mother, who apparently bought the weapon, how her son got ahold of it. She wouldn't comment on that. She expressed her sorrow for the parents of the kids who were killed. She said, I wish there was something I could have done. There wasn't.

She also, listen, as a mother herself, she is not only mourning her own child, but in the knowledge that her own child killed four other people before he himself was killed. She said he was a good boy. I miss my boy.

[14:20:02]

So the motive is still something that they will be trying to get ahold of. But as the police chief said last night, Fred, we may never know.

WHITFIELD: Wow. The gunman was shot and killed by a father of two students at that school who happened to hear the gunshots? What more can you tell us about kind of the sequence of events?

WATT: Yes. So this is extraordinary. Listen, this -- this is horrific. This could have been worse. The gunman managed to get off 15 rounds before he was taken out. He had another 44 rounds on him.

Now, what we're told, Kaylub Giamanco, a 36-year-old father, two daughters at this school, happened to be passing by when he saw the gunman go in. Giamanco stopped, pulled his legal pistol out of his glove box and followed the shooter into the classroom. By the time he got in, he could see a teacher who had thrown her cell phone at the shooter. The teacher was then grappling, wrestling with him. Giamanco shot the shooter a number of times, neutralized him, took him out.

Now, he is not giving interviews. His mom said he doesn't want recognition. He just wants to express his gratitude to everybody else who was involved. So we are talking some heroics here. This guy, this father who risked his own life to go in, and also this teacher whose name we don't yet know who threw her phone and really was the first person to try, we think, to subdue this shooter before he could wreak more havoc. As I say, he got off 15 rounds. He had another 44. Fred?

WHITFIELD: God, incredible these instincts that kicked in for the teacher and for that father. All right, Nick Watt, thank you so much.

Still ahead, White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia fired after just five days on the job. What we're learning about her stunning exit with just 17 days now until midterm elections.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:26:21]

WHITFIELD: All right, today we saw Pope Leo walk out of Rome's Gemelli hospital to crowds of well-wishers. And this was just four days after lung cancer surgery. The Pope's sudden hospitalization and cancer diagnosis came as a huge shock to Catholics around the world, an announcement he actually made himself to the world. For more perspective on all of this, CNN Vatican analyst Katie

McGrady. Katie, great to see you again.

KATIE MCGRADY, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: Yes, it's good to see you, too. It's been kind of a crazy week.

WHITFIELD: I mean, I mean, at first, you know, last time we were talking, we were talking about the concerns and the worries that people had after his, you know, amazing announcement that he personalized himself. And now you see him walking out of the hospital waving, I mean, making it look like it was no big thing.

So what are his fans and followers, you know, saying and praying about now after getting their eyes on him and, and hearing, you know, that he went through this cancer surgery, they removed a nodule, a portion of his lung?

MCGRADY: I think there's a lot of relief and, a lot of, of deep sighs of relief coming from those who watch the Vatican very closely. Of course, many faithful Catholics around the world, even people who do not profess the Catholic faith but still very much love and admire the holy father to see him. I have a friend who is a doctor and she said, you know, he's lifting his arm. That's always a good sign. I didn't realize arms lifting was such a good sign following a lung surgery like this.

And then there was actually an interview with his surgeon following his departure from the Gemelli hospital that the doctor essentially said he was a model patient. In fact, there was even one little anecdote in there when he was arranging for mass to be said at the hospital. He was moving the chairs himself. And they said, holy father, we can do this. And he was like, but I can too. Which just goes to show, you can't keep this guy down. So I think there's a lot of relief in the Catholic Church.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I said to Christopher Lamb, our Vatican correspondent earlier, I'm like, he's like superman. I mean, he's making it look so easy, you know, just doing this.

But I mean, there really is power that he is presenting, right, by, number one, telling the world himself that I've got, you know, surgery coming up, and now showing the world himself. Most people, when they leave a hospital after surgery, they're in a wheelchair. They push them out carefully to get to the car, even if you can walk. He made a conscientious decision to present himself to the world this way. What do you think the thinking was here?

MCGRADY: He did. I mean, the Pope looks like the Pope, and he still looks like the Pope. And that's important. A lot of us remember the spring of 2025 and the drip, drip, drip of information about Pope Francis's health. And then when we did finally see him again, of course, he looked weakened. Of course, we knew that he was not long for this world.

This is a sign of reassurance to the people of God. I'm OK. We're going to be OK. Fear not. When you are facing some sort of a health crisis and challenge, there are great doctors on hand who can help you navigate this.

So I think there's a, there's a lot of, of coding happening here with the presenting himself, walking out and waving and smiling and stopping to greet people and offer blessings. Tomorrow, he'll come back to that same window and greet the crowds. I'm sure it will be a packed Saint Peter's Square, and lead the Angelus.

And as of now, both the Latin America trip is still on his calendar and next Wednesday's audience. So that's going to be the first time we'll see him back, in a Popemobile, potentially. Or maybe they say, nope, you just walk out, you walk back in.

[14:30:00]

So we'll see kind of what they're thinking in terms of how much is he going to push it? Are they going to make sure he takes it a little easier? Even if he is walking out, right, we still want to ensure that he gets enough rest.

WHITFIELD: Oh, yes. And I mean, Katie, and you know, it wasn't that long ago that you and I were talking about, and you were describing how much he was looking forward to this South America trip, how meaningful and important it would be for him. Again, you know, his office is saying, yes, plans for now seem to be on. But what kind of adjustments do you think are likely being made to be mindful of, you know, his health journey right now, and, you know, match that with his incredible will, you know, to journey and love for South America to be there?

MCGRADY: I think the big question that kind of is circulating among journalists right now is, will there be as many stops? Because there were tons of crisscrossing through these three countries, Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.

I've heard a bit that the altitude in Peru is a bit of a concern, but the surgeon said earlier there's no clinical reason why he shouldn't be able to tackle this. So I think it will come down to, are we going to kind of let him have a slower pace ahead of that wheels up November 6th? So we might see a fewer daily audiences. We might see fewer, they call them baciamanos. These are the handshakes that people get to give him after a Wednesday audience. Are they going to let him go up to Castel Gandolfo for a few days and, and just kind of rest? By the by the lakeside and take, you know, sleep in a little bit? I think he deserves that at this point ahead of this big trip.

But I would I would bet money the crowds will be even bigger now that he's come through this surgery by the time he gets to Latin America.

WHITFIELD: I think so too. You called that all right.

Katie McGrady, great to see you. Thank you so much.

MCGRADY: Good to see you, too. Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right, and now to another very incredible story, a different but still incredible. A New Jersey police officer, a Wawa parking lot, and a baby that would not wait to be delivered. CNN's Brynn Gingras on how that officer went beyond the call.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a story you'll never forget.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This was the moment Taylor Durham met her newborn son. By her side, her husband, Philip, and the police officer who is now forever part of this family moment.

TAYLOR DURHAM, MOTHER: I could not have delivered that baby alone. There's no way.

GINGRAS (voice over): On the evening of July 6th, Dominic Hodson of Berlin, New Jersey Police Department was on routine shift when he was called to a job a few officers ever face.

911 DISPATCHER: Do you see the baby? Is she on her back?

PHILIP DURHAM, FATHER: I can see the baby.

911 DISPATCHER: OK. All right, tell her, don't stop. Just keep going, OK?

GINGRAS (voice over): Philip and Taylor were driving to the hospital when it became clear they wouldn't make it in time.

P. DURHAM: I'm pulling in Wawa in Berlin.

GINGRAS (voice over): Within minutes of Officer Hodson arriving, it was clear there wasn't much time left.

DOMINIC HODSON, OFFICER, BERLIN POLICE: I had to keep myself calm first. I didn't know really what I was walking into. But we have a job to do.

P. DURHAM: The baby's coming.

D. HODSON: OK.

P. DURHAM: Yes. Yes.

GINGRAS (voice over): And with one last push, Officer Hodson was there to deliver the baby.

P. DURHAM: He's out. He's out.

GINGRAS (voice over): At 8:22 p.m., Henderson Lee Durham was born.

P. DURHAM: I was relieved because it was just very stressful. So, just happy that somebody was there in case something did happen to her or to the baby.

HODSON: It's definitely an amazing feeling. Just, you know, being able to say that I was able to assist them and help them deliver a healthy baby boy into this world.

GINGRAS (voice over): For Taylor, Officer Hodson's unexpected help is now part of her story of becoming a mother of two.

T. DURHAM: I wouldn't trade it for the world. I love -- sorry -- I love being a mom. And they're great. They're really great kids. We're really lucky.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[14:38:37]

WHITFIELD: President Trump back on the campaign trail as he scrambles to help Republicans keep control of the house and Senate. Right now, he is rallying in ruby red Kentucky as he continues his campaign swing through conservative strongholds.

CNN's Alayna Treene is with the president in Kentucky. Elena, walk us through the president's strategy and what's happening right now. Is he speaking? I think he is. It's quiet.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Yes, he is, Fred. Actually, you can see him speaking behind me over my left shoulder here. Only briefly though, so far.

A couple things to note. Since he came out on stage, Fred, is one actually very early into his remarks, we did see a protester. We've seen a lot of protesters recently at some of the rallies that the president has done. We've also really heard him kind of walk through thus far, a lot of his greatest hits. I mean, he is in a solidly red district right now here in northern Kentucky. And so really playing to a crowd of his fiercest supporters.

But I do want to get into a little bit more about where we are. I mentioned we are in northern Kentucky. Specifically, I'm in highland heights here with the president. This is actually the district of the president's longtime Republican foe, Thomas Massie. Massie lost his primary this year to a Republican Ed Gallrein, who is running to replace to replace him, essentially. And you heard the president talk about him already on stage.

Another key race that the president is stumping for today and talking about here in Kentucky is the race for Senate to replace the seat of Mitch McConnell.

[14:40:6]

Republican Andy Barr, currently a congressman, is running for that. But look, even though the president is here in Kentucky, one of the reasons he's here is because of its proximity to Ohio. We are just across right away, very close to the border of Ohio. Cincinnati is right nearby. And so a lot of what we're going to hear tonight is actually about Ohio as well. You did hear the president talk about some of the Ohio races thus far. The Senate race in Ohio is very competitive. So is the gubernatorial race. And also this probably is going to be picked up in the Cincinnati media market. So there's a reason that he's here.

I will say, too, the key message continues to be, and we've already heard the president mention it in the short time he's been talking, Fred, is this idea of pretend I'm on the ballot. He said that already. He joked that he wasn't going to ask people in this room to swear to God that they will go and show up on Election Day. But really, this is all about turnout. The consistent thing I hear in my conversations with members of the president's political operation is that what they hope he can do is convince his fiercest supporters, people who are in the room here today in Kentucky, to actually show up and vote.

We know that this is an issue every time there's a midterm election. You know, a lot of voters don't typically show out like they do for a general election. So Trump is really trying to bridge the enthusiasm gap that I know many Republicans and many people in the White House are worried about with just less than three weeks now until November 3rd.

So still going to listen to see what else he has to say. But so far this is pretty much in line with a lot of the speeches we've heard the president be giving in recent weeks, particularly as he's been going to these conservative strongholds and conservative states really as well. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right, Alayna Treene, thank you so much.

All right, joining me right now to talk more about the midterms is Skylar Woodhouse. She is the White House correspondent for "Bloomberg News". Skylar, great to see you. So, I mean, all this as the president, you know, is in ruby red areas telling voters to pretend he is on the ballot. How concerned is he that he and Republicans are in uphill battles in areas that should be shoo-ins?

SKYLAR WOODHOUSE, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, "BLOOMBERG NEWS": Yes. Look, this is a very close race. Like Alayna was saying, the president is out here going to all of these rallies. He's barnstorming the country. He was in Georgia yesterday. Now he's in Kentucky. He will continue to travel next week.

And the president is getting out there. But for Republican candidates and for the Republican Party, there is a balance that is trying to be struck right now as candidates try and have their own brand and separate themselves from the Trump administration, from the president, at a time where voters, the American public, are sort of trying to navigate and figure out how much do they support the president's policies at a time where the economy, we're seeing all time highs in terms of affordability. You know, the president campaigned in 2024 on lowering prices. But what we have seen during the tenure of his presidency is the war in Iran, his tariff agenda has led to higher prices.

And so for candidates at the local level, they're trying to having to navigate, how do I run my campaign while also still trying to have that relationship with the Trump administration in a time where politics in America, specifically Republican politics, is really dominated by President Trump and his admirers in that MAGA, you know, hierarchy. So it's going to be a very close race, and it's going to be something to see how if candidates have successfully navigated separating themselves, if that either hurts them or potentially how could it not kind of help them.

WHITFIELD: Right, just to further underscore your point, I mean, you know, the polling shows president's approval rating continues to drop. Voters are most concerned about the economy and inflation. But listen to how the president responded to those concerns at his rally in Georgia last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENT: You know, when they talk about affordability, yes, it's a word they made up, affordability. Well, they're the ones that caused the affordability. You know what it is right now? The golden age of America.

(CHEERING)

TRUMP: And this has been considered by, I think, almost everyone to be the most successful two years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So one has to wonder, you know, among who is this really working? Because, you know, he continues to blame, you know, Biden. He's touting his policies. He's saying and accusing the Democrats of making up the affordability issue. Is this -- are their results, you know, that this strategy is actually working ahead of people going to the voting polls, the polling stations?

WOODHOUSE: Yes. Well, look, some, in some areas people are already voting. Early voting has started. In places like Virginia, folks are sending in their absentee ballots, getting out there.

[14:45:00]

But the president has consistently asked for sort of people to be patient. He sort of recognized that there have been higher prices, especially from, you know, like the war in Iran with gas prices being at all-time highs. And he has asked folks to sort of just wait and be patient, which that's a tough ask to put on the American public. Look, I mean, times are tough still coming out of COVID. There's still a lot of rebuilding that is going on. And so to ask the American public to sort of just wait around and, you know, that prices will come back is a big ask. And he's continued to say, you know, stock market, the stock market is at all-time highs. He's continued to talk about 401(k)s doing well for people.

But still, at the end of the day, the American public and voters are still feeling those price hikes. So even though the president, you know, might try and message that things are doing OK and talk about all the investments that the U.S. is receiving, you know, still, at the end of the day, for people, if they're not seeing, you know, those, you know, their bank accounts with a lot of numbers and having to deal with higher prices at the grocery store, the gas pump, all of those things, it does raise the question on if the president's message is working. WHITFIELD: Let me pivot now to the president's stunning firing of his

White House press secretary after just five days on the job. I mean, this is embarrassing for both the White House and for Katie Zacharia. I mean, how will this perhaps change the approach for the search and even the big reveal eventually of the next White House press secretary?

WOODHOUSE: Yes, what we saw with this ousting was sort of a flashback to the first Trump administration. For those who might remember, it was a pretty consistent revolving door at the White House during Trump one. You saw people sort of being fired left and right. And Trump 2.0, this current administration, has really tried to flip that script and to show that they are more stable, that they are, you know, sort of more adult-like, if you will.

And we have not really seen that revolving door as much this go round. Mind you, folks have definitely left. We have seen people leave and, you know Kristi Noem left, you know, so we've seen those departures. But just not as high as it was during Trump one.

But this was pretty shocking. And this press secretary, Katie, her time as press secretary, press secretary started out pretty rough. She had her first briefing. It was only about 15 minutes. She took just three questions. And she did not really, you know, engage with reporters the way folks had expected in that first briefing, which raised a lot of questions on how qualified and how prepared was she?

And, you know, we've seen a lot of talk on the president and folks trying to have that relationship with the president. But does that ultimately mean that they are ready and the right person for that job? And the president said that he had told Katie that, politely, I guess he was trying to say that you should reconsider. And that's what we heard from him yesterday. And then quickly, you know, we all learned that she was being ousted from this position.

So we still don't know exactly if she is going to remain at the White House in some capacity, or if she will just go off to be, you know, an outside adviser for sort of Trump and the MAGA brand. But, look, going forward, so far, what we can tell the president doesn't seem to be in a major rush to rehire the press secretary. President Trump himself likes to engage with the press. So, you know, I think it'll be a little bit of time maybe before that next person is announced as press secretary.

WHITFIELD: All right, still a lot pending. Skylar Woodhouse, thanks so much.

Coming up, strong winds, pounding waves, and rising waters. We're tracking the brewing nor'easter that could bring days of trouble to the east coast next.

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[14:53:22]

WHITFIELD: All right, turning to weather. Millions across the east coast are reaching for their jackets after a cold front brought a sharp drop in temperatures. CNN meteorologist Melissa Nord explains how the same system is also bringing strong winds and coastal flood threats to parts of the region.

MELISSA NORD, CNN METEOROLOGIST: A developing coastal storm is going to bring several days in a row through at least the middle of the week really high winds. We're going to be talking about coastal flooding, especially tidal flooding. Some coastal erosion as well and really rough surf. And that's cranking up starting this weekend, continuing into the start of the week as well. So it's a multi-day event that we're talking about.

The center of the low likely meanders just off the coast, but we are going to be watching Sunday and beyond those winds still being a problem along with coastal flooding. Now we also have some rain with this low that's beginning to develop along the leading edge of the cold front. Still, some of that rain lingering through this evening across the coast of the Carolinas, but then moving offshore by Sunday.

Check out these wind gusts. Wind gusts throughout the rest of Saturday. Hatteras, for example, Hatteras Island is under a state of emergency. They issued a mandatory evacuation for visitors to the island. They could have wind gusts today 40, 45 miles an hour, at times pushing close to 50. That's like a tropical storm or nor'easter. And then even into Sunday and Monday still those strongest winds are going to be around the outer banks of North Carolina. And eventually, by midweek, as the storm moves a little farther north, we'll see those winds starting to pick up from Virginia Beach over to ocean city. So it will be the tidal cycles when we hit high tide with those onshore winds that we see the greatest coastal flooding.

[14:55:03]

And there's over two dozen different flood gauge sensors, especially Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, out towards the outer banks that are going to be running in minor or moderate flood stage. So although we may not see a ton of rain out of the system, with most of it being offshore, tidal flooding certainly going to be something we're watching.

WHITFIELD: All right, Melissa Nord, thank you so much.

Coming up, the president is stumping in deep red corners of the country as Democrats grow more bullish about their chances of seizing control of Congress. We're on the campaign trail.

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